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Microbial Symbionts: Functions and Molecular Interactions on Host focuses on microbial symbionts of plants, animals, insects and molecular methods in the identification of microbial symbionts. The book describes the molecular mechanism and interactions of symbiosis of microbiome in plants, animals and humans. It brings the latest techniques for identification, localization and functional characterization of host-associated microbes and explains the role/importance of microbial symbionts. This comprehensive reference covers a wide range of symbiotic microorganisms used for basic and advanced techniques associated with the isolation, characterization and identification of microbial symbiotic microorganisms and their functions and molecular interactions on the host. The book will also helps users plan and execute experiments with appropriate knowledge rather than experimental trial and error in a wide range of disciplines, including Microbiology, Biotechnology, Botany and Zoology. - Provides basic knowledge and working protocols for a wide range of disciplines like Microbiology, Biotechnology, Botany and Zoology - Presents the most current information in symbiotic microbiome and holobiome - Includes color photos pertaining to techniques

A comprehensive overview of symbiotic relationships between insects and microbesInsects and Their Beneficial Microbes is an authoritative and accessible synthesis of insect associations with beneficial microorganisms. Angela Douglas distills the vast literature in entomology and microbiology, as well as the burgeoning microbiome literature, to explore the full scope of insect-microbial interactions and their applications to real-world problems in agriculture and medicine.Douglas investigates how insects acquire and support their microbial partners, and examines how microorganisms contribute to insect nutrition, the defense against natural enemies, and the detoxification of natural allelochemicals and chemical insecticides. She analyzes how beneficial microbes can be harnessed to solve real-world problems in insect pest management, including strategies to suppress the transmission of viruses and microbial disease agents by mosquitoes and other insects. She also addresses the use of insects as biomedical models for effective microbial therapies treating a range of chronic human diseases, and considers how knowledge of insect-microbial interactions can promote the health of beneficial insects, especially in the context of environmental pollutants and climate change.Insects and Their Beneficial Microbes provides a much-needed conceptual framework for the growing discipline of insect-microbial interactions, and offers a wealth of insights into insect symbioses from molecular, physiological, ecological, and evolutionary perspectives.

This volume presents a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in symbiosis research. It covers molecular, organellar, cellular, immunologic, genetic and evolutionary aspects of symbiotic interactions in humans and other model systems. The book also highlights new approaches to interdisciplinary research and therapeutic applications. Symbiosis refers to any mutually beneficial interaction between different organisms. The symbiotic origin of cellular organelles and the exchange of genetic material between hosts and their bacterial and viral symbionts have helped shaped the current diversity of life. Recently, symbiosis has gained a new level of recognition, due to the realization that all organisms function as a holobiome and that any kind of interference with the hosts influences their symbionts and vice versa, and can have profound consequences for the survival of both. For example, in humans, the microbiome, i.e., the entirety of all the microorganisms living in association with the intestines, oral cavity, urogenital system and skin, is partially inherited during pregnancy and influences the maturation and functioning of the human immune system, protects against pathogens and regulates metabolism. Symbionts also regulate cancer development, wound healing, tissue regeneration and stem cell function. The medical applications of this new realization are vast and largely uncharted. The composition and robustness of human symbionts could make them a valuable diagnostic tool for predicting impending diseases, and the manipulation of symbionts could yield new strategies for the treatment of incurable diseases.